RIO DE JANEIRO – After suffering the first two losses of his career in the octagon, Tony Martin reversed course and saved his UFC job.

Martin (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) took on jiu-jitsu black-belt Fabricio Camoes (14-9-1 MMA, 1-4-1 UFC) on his home turf, both geographically and stylistically, working diligently for a submission until the Brazilian was forced to tap.

The catchweight bout (both lightweights missed weight) opened up the preliminary card of today’s UFC 179 event at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional prelims on FOX Sports 1 and the main card on pay-per-view.

The fight’s end came at the 4:16 mark of the first, when Camoes tapped to a kimura and referee Mario Yamasaki intervened. It was the third straight submission loss for Camoes, who returned after a 10-month layoff.

Martin played on his feet for the first part of the round and took a heavy leg kick before slamming Camoes to the mat. There, he passed to half-guard, where Camoes tried his own kimura. Martin countered, and it was his hold that won the day.

“It was a tough fight,” Martin said. “He is a very good jiu-jitsu fighter. It has always been a dream to come to Brazil and show my Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and that’s what happened today.”

Martin, who opened his UFC career with losses to Rashid Magomedov and Beneil Dariush, gets back to the winner’s circle after going 8-0 on the regional circuit.